Course Details

Course TitleIACP 2025 - Making the Case for Second Opinions: Psychological, Agency, and Legal Perspectives on Independent Evaluations of Psychologically Unsuitable-for-Hire and Unfit-for-Duty Determinations
Date 10/18/2025
ProviderIACP-PPSS
Phone703-836-6767
Emailannualconference@theIACP.org
Website https://www.theiacpconference.org/
LocationDenver, CO
Credit Hours1
Instructor(s)Thomas Coghlan, PsyD; Eric Atstupenas, Esq.; Fred Farris; Lewis Schlosser, PhD, ABPP
Method of InstructionWorkshop/Seminar
Approving AgencyAPA
Course Syllabus

Course Description

Psychological assessments of candidates' suitability-for-hire or incumbent officers' fitness-for-duty are essential to public safety, assurance of a safe workplace, and delivery of proper police services to the community. Out of an abundance of caution, psychological evaluators sometimes prefer false positives over false negatives - to err on the side of caution and identify an unreasonable degree of risk when in fact such risk does not exist when making psychological suitability-for-hire or fitness-for-duty determinations. Such errors can unnecessarily deny agencies a population of suitable candidates, or remove psychologically-fit veteran officers from service. Agency, legal, and psychological perspectives on independent evaluations in such cases will be explored and recommendations made.

Course Objectives